Eating a couple of servings of process red meat per week raises the risk of dementia, according to a new finding coming out of the 2024 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.

Processed red meat includes things such as bacon, hot dogs, kielbasa, and salami. The data did not extend to red meat like steak, hamburger and other things.

“It’s really the processing that causes difficulty for individuals, so this really is an extension of a study that we talked about two years ago that said higher intakes of processed foods generally could lead to as much as a 20% increase in your risk for developing dementia,” said Elizabeth Smith-Boivin, executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association Northeastern New York chapter.

The conference was held last month over the last few weeks.

Smith-Bovin will share more findings from the conference over the coming weeks.